Mr Edward Shadey, Tema Metropolitan Environmental Health Officer, has stated that it was not true that district assemblies were responsible for the cleaning of markets.

Mr Shadey said “it is not true that it is the responsibility of the Assembly to clean the market but rather the law stipulates that it is the responsibility of traders and residents to ensure that their immediate environment is clean.”

Speaking to the media during the third National Sanitation Day, he said market women and residents who did not want to participate in the exercise wrongly accused the Assemblies of neglecting their duties.

He called for attitudinal change among residents and added that due to sheer apathy, market women and residents did not to partake in clean-up exercises and turn around shift the responsibility on the Assembly.

“Occasionally, the Assembly will come in, but the responsibility lies on the traders, shop keepers, all and sundry to keep the immediate environment where you are trading clean”, he said.

Mr Shadey said shop owners must acquire litter bins and register with the waste management service provider assigned to their zone for the collection of waste they generate from their activities.

Mr Isaac Ashai Odamtten, Tema Metropolitan Chief Executive, reiterated the need for residents and market women to fully participate in the National Sanitation Day.

Mr Odamtten said traders had no excuse not to participate in the clean-up exercise since they have 30 days in a month to trade out of which they were to dedicate only three hours to clean their environment.

Traders at Baatsona TEXPO market in the Tema West Constituency did brisk business when the MCE and his entourage got to the place to participate in the clean-up exercise.